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A dolphinarium is an aquarium for dolphins. The
dolphins are usually kept in a large pool, though occasionally they
may be kept in pens in the open sea, either for research or for
public performances. Some dolphinariums consist of one pool where
dolphins perform for the public, others are part of larger parks,
such as marine mammal parks,
zoos or theme parks,
keeping other animals and having other attractions as well.

While cetaceans have been held in
captivity since the 1860s, the first commercial dolphinarium was
opened only in 1938. Their popularity increased rapidly until the
1960s. Since the 1970s, increasing concern for animal welfare lead to stricter regulation,
which in several countries ultimately resulted in the closure of
all dolphinariums in the past decades. Despite this trend,
dolphinariums are still widely spread in Europe, Japan and North
America.

The most common species of dolphin kept in dolphinariums are
Bottlenose Dolphins as they are
relatively easy to train and have a long lifespan in captivity.
While the trade of dolphins is interantionally regulated, other
aspects of keeping dolphins in captivity such as the minimum size
and caracteristics of pools vary among countries. Though animal
welfare is perceived to have improved significantly over the last
few decades, many animal rights and welfare groups still consider
keeping dolphins captive a form of animal
abuse.

History

Though
cetaceans have been held in captivity in
both North America and Europe since the 1860s, the first being a pair of
Beluga Whales in the New York museum,
dolphins were first kept for paid entertainment in the Marine
Studios dolphinarium founded in 1938 in St.
Augustine, Florida. It
was here that it was discovered that dolphins could be trained to
perform tricks. Recognizing the success of Marine Studios, more
dolphinariums keeping dolphins for entertainment followed. In the
1960s, keeping dolphins in zoos and aquariums for entertainment
purposes became increased in popularity after the 1963 Flipper movie and subsequent Flipper *television series. In
1966, the first dolphin was exported to Europe. In these early days, dolphinariums could grow
quickly due to a lack of legislation and lack of concern for
animal welfare.

New
legislation, most notably the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act in
the United
States, combined with a more critical view on animal
welfare forced many dolphinariums around the world to close.
In 1985 Australia banned the display of
all cetaceans. Another proeminent example is the United Kingdom, where despite that during the early 1970s there
were at least 36 dolphinariums and travelling dolphin shows, the
last dolphinarium closed its doors in 1993.The last dolphinarium
in Hungary was closed
in 1992, and any future dolphin imports were prohibited.In 2005
both Chile and Costa Rica prohibited keeping cetaceans captive.
However, around 60 dolphinariums currently exist across Europe of
which 34 within the EU. Japan, Mexico and the United States are also
home to a relatively large number of dolphinariums.

Design

Marine World Uminonakamichi,
Japan

Many varied designs exist, but an often found basic dolphinarium
design for public performances consists of stands for the public
around a semi-circular pool, sometimes with glass walls which allow
underwater viewing, and a platform in the middle from which the
trainers direct and present the show.

The water in the pools has to be constantly filtered to keep it
clean for the dolphins and the spectators, and the temperature and
composition of the water has to be controlled to match the
conditions dolphins experience in the wild. In the absence of a
common international regulation, guidelines regarding the minimum
size of the pools vary between countries. To give an indication of
pool sizes, the European Association for Aquatic Mammals
recommends that a pool for five dolphins should have a surface area of 275 m² (2,960 ft²)
plus an additional 75 m² (810 ft²) for every additional
animal, have a depth of 3.5 m (11.5 ft) for at least the
minimum surface area and have a water volume of at least
1,000 m³ (35,300 ft³) with an additional 200 m³
(7,060 ft³) for every additional animal. If two of these three
conditions are met and the third is not more than 10% below
standard, the EAAM considers the pool size to be acceptable.

Animals

Species

Various species of dolphins are kept in captivity and also several
other small whale species such as Harbour Porpoises, Finless Porpoises and Belugas, though in those cases the word
dolphinarium may not be fitting as these are not true dolphins.
Bottlenose Dolphins are the most
common species of dolphin kept in dolphinariums: they are
relatively easy to train, have a long lifespan in captivity and a
friendly appearance. Hundreds if not thousands of Bottlenose
Dolphins live in captivity across the world, though exact numbers
are hard to give. Orcas are well known for
their performances in shows, but the number of Orcas kept in
captivity is very small especially when compared to the number of
bottlenose dolphins, with only 41 captive
Orcas being known as of 2007. Of all Orcas kept in captivity, the
majority are located in the various SeaWorld parks in the United States. Other species
kept in captivity are Spotted
Dolphins, False Killer Whales
and Common Dolphins, Commerson's Dolphins, and Rough-toothed Dolphins, but all in
much lower numbers than the Bottlenose Dolphin. Also kept, but in
numbers of less than ten are Pilot
Whales, Amazon River
Dolphins, Risso's Dolphins,
Spinner Dolphins, and Tucuxi. Two unusual and very rare hybrid dolphins known as Wolphins are kept at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii, which are a
cross between a Bottlenose Dolphin and a False Killer Whale.Also two
Common/Bottlenose hybrids reside in captivity one at Discovery Cove and the other SeaWorld San Diego.

Trade and capture

Dolphin being loaded on to a truck
after having been captured in a drive hunt in Futo, Japan.

In the early days, many bottlenose dolphins were wild caught off
the coast of Florida where they are common. Though the Marine
Mammal Protection Act, established in 1972, allows an exception for
the collection of dolphins for public display and research purposes
providing a permit is obtained, Bottlenose dolphins have not been
captured in American waters since 1989. In most Western countries,
breeding programmes have been set up to provide the dolphinariums
with new animals. To achieve a sufficient birth rate and to prevent
inbreeding, artificial
insemination (AI) is occasionally used. The use of AI also
allows dolphinariums to increase the genetic diversity of their population
without having to bring in any dolphins from other
facilities.

The trade of dolphins is regulated by CITES.
Endangered dolphin species are included in CITES’ Appendix I, in
which case trade is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
Species considered not to be threatened with extinction are
included in Appendix II, in which case trade “must be controlled in
order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival”. Most
cetacean species traded for display in captivity to the public or
for use in swimming with dolphins and other interaction programmes
are listed on Appendix II.

Live dolphins are still traded however. A live Bottlenose Dolphin
is estimated to cost between a few thousand and several tens of
thousands of US dollars, depending on age,
condition and prior training. Captures are reported to be on the rise in
the South Pacific and the Carribbean, Cuba has also
been an exporter of dolphins in recent years, this being organised
by the Acuario Nacional de Cuba.In recent years, the
Solomon
Islands have also allowed the collection and export of
dolphins for public display facilities.A 2005 law banned the
export of dolphins, however this ban has been seemingly overturned
when in 2007 some 28 dolphins were shipped to Dubai.Some,
mainly Japanese, dolphinariums obtain their dolphins from local
drive hunts, though several
other countries in Asia also import dolphins from Japan.Several
American dolphinariums have also done so in the past, however not
since 1993 when the US National Marine Fisheries
Service refused a permit for Marine World
Africa USA to import four False Killer Whales caught in a
Japanese drive hunt.

Criticism

Though animal welfare is perceived to have improved significantly
over the last few decades, many animal rights and welfare groups
such as the WSPA still
consider keeping dolphins at dolphinariums a form of animal abuse. The main arguments are that
dolphins do not have enough freedom of movement in pools,
regardless of pool size, (in the wild, dolphins swim hundreds of
miles every day) and do not get enough stimulation. Dolphins often
show repetitive behavior in captivity and sometimes become
aggressive towards other animals or people. In some cases, the
behavior of dolphins in captivity also results in their own
death.

The lifespan of dolphins in captivity is another subject of debate.
Research has shown that Orcas indeed have a much lower survival
rate in captivity; however, there is no significant difference
between wild and captive survival rates for Bottlenose dolphins.
This does
not, however, reflect a global state of affairs: for example,
Bottlenose dolphins in captive facilities in Jamaica suffer from extremely high mortality
rates.

In response to criticism, dolphinariums stress that every effort is
being made to ensure the well-being of the animals, who are being
cared for with state-of-the-art medical technology (including some
adapted from that used for humans). Many dolphinariums are also
involved in research and education programs, assist in cases of
beachings, and provide aid to sick or
injured wild animals.

Captive dolphins are an increasingly popular choice of animal-assisted therapy for humans
with psychological problems and developmental disabilities. For
example, a 2005 study of 30 participants found that
dolphin-assisted therapy was an effective treatment for mild to
moderate depression. However,
this study was criticized on several grounds: for example, it is
not known whether dolphins are more effective than common pets.
Reviews of this and other published
dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) studies have found important
methodological flaws, leading reviewers to conclude that there is
no compelling scientific evidence that DAT is a legitimate therapy,
or that it affords any more than fleeting improvements in human
mood.

See also

References

"Following P.T. Barnum's ill-fated display of white whales in
his New York Museum in 1860, it was not until 1913 that cetaceans
were again seen in captivity, this time when C. H. Townsend,
curator of the New York Aquarium, stumbled upon the idea exhibiting
dolphins as an unbeatable novelty to attract the crowds.", "During
feeding time at Marine Studios, it is said, dolphins gradually fell
into the habit of jumping up to catch the fish that were thrown to
them, and this miniature spectacle always amused the public, the
keepers and curator. Then a year later in 1939, Cecil M. Walker,
then responsible for maintenance of the water purification pumps on
the night-shift, observed one evening how a dolphin pushed a
pelican feather across the surface of the water towards him. "Just
for the hell of it" he took the proffered feather and threw it back
into the water, whereupon, to his great surprise, the dolphin
brought it back again. The game continued with Walker experimenting
with a ball, an inner tube of a bicycle, small stones and other
objects. As the game took shape with other dolphins joining in the
act, it began to resemble the repertoire seen today in every
dolphinarium in the world.", quotes from The rose-tinted
menagery.

"But it is in Fidel Castro's revolutionary Cuba that dolphin
catching in South America has been given a new lease of life, under
the auspices of the quasi state-run enterprise Acuario Nacional.",
quote from The rose-tinted menagery

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Reuters) - A cargo plane arrived in
the lawless Solomon Islands Monday to pick up wild dolphins
captured to order for a Mexican syndicate in what activists have
blasted as an environmental crime, regional media reported.
Developments on dolphin capture

Willis, K. 2007. "Life Expectancy of Bottlenose Dolphins in
Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums' North American
Member Facilities: 1990 - present". Presented at the 2007 meeting
of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums.